By Jenny Dwyer

Broaden your understanding of Cultural Burns to reduce exotic weed, promote native ground cover and increase drought tolerance.

Hay Plains Landcare is excited to offer the opportunity for landholders and the community to learn more about Cultural Burning at a Cultural Burn Workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 3 and 4, 2025, facilitated by Dean Freeman, Local Land Services, and the Wiradjuri Cultural Burn Team from Tumut.

Cultural Burning, also known as Indigenous or Traditional Fire Management, is a land care practice used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for tens of thousands of years. It involves the application of low-intensity, patchy fires at the right time of year, in the right places, and under the right conditions.

These cool burns clear away exotic weeds and thick leaf litter, without damaging the soil or mature vegetation, creating space and light for native species to regenerate.

Many native plant species are fire-adapted, meaning they have evolved to respond positively to this kind of disturbance and some even rely on it to germinate.

Unlike hot, uncontrolled bushfires, Cultural Burns are designed to encourage biodiversity and help maintain open, grassy ecosystems that are dominated by our valued native species.

In turn, landscapes with native groundcover will build drought tolerance by protecting the soil from erosion, retaining moisture, and reducing evaporation.

Healthy ground cover will also improve the soil's organic matter and structure, allowing it to absorb and hold water more effectively which is essential in times of low rainfall.

"The Australian landscape has been modified by the use of Cultural Burning as a land management practice for many thousands of years by First Nations People," Hay Plains Landcare Chair Bert Matthews said.

"Science is increasingly understanding the merit of Cultural Burns to reduce wild fire risk and manage groundcover in all landscapes.

"We need to learn more about adapting traditional revegetation techniques to modern land management systems."

This workshop is not only about achieving positive ecological outcomes, it will strengthen Cultural understanding, support intergenerational learning and preserve First Nations Heritage.

All are very welcome to attend. Registrations essential: https://bit.ly/cultural-burn

Hay Landcare said this project is supported by FRRR, through funding from the Australian Government's Future Drought Fund, made possible by the NSW Landcare Enabling Program, a collaboration of Local Land Services and Landcare NSW supported by the NSW Government.